the branch network caused some performance issues but these were hardware related and could be solved by adding more Sun Fire 490 servers. The servers were described by Fernandopulle as 'plug and play', with the ability to apply them in the areas that require a boost. The end-of-day batch processing was still manageable, he added. 'I don't see any application bottlenecks.'
The only proviso to this was Sungard's loan origination front-end. The existing version was sluggish so necessitated a server in each branch, which proved a headache. A Java version of the solution was on the way at the time, so DFCC was interested in it as an upgrade route.
Clearly the bank has had a good relationship with System Access. Since signing, there has been the aforementioned takeover of the company by Sungard (this happened in 2006). This had not had much of an impact but dealing with the supplier has become more bureaucratic, said Fernandopulle, and changes can take longer as a result. New York lawyers are involved in contracts where previously it was Singapore lawyers.
However, the gripes appear to be minimal. DFCC has succeeded where at least one of its Sri Lankan counterparts has not, with a smooth roll-out of a new core system across both of the banks in the group. It is using this as the platform for physical branch expansion, aided by the centralised nature of its systems and infrastructure.
